harrogate blog by harrogate online

Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) are being introduced to help improve the energy efficiency of buildings in Harrogate.

If you are buying or selling a home you now need a certificate by law. From October 2008 EPCs will be required whenever a building is built, sold or rented out. The certificate provides ‘A’ to ‘G’ ratings for the building, with ‘A’ being the most energy efficient and ‘G’ being the least, with the average up to now being ‘D’.

Accredited energy assessors produce EPCs alongside an associated report which suggests improvements to make a building more energy efficient.

Energy Performance Certificates of Buildings in Harrogate

New measures to improve the energy performance of our buildings.

Buildings are responsible for almost 50 per cent of the UK’s energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Communities and Local Government has introduced measures in England and Wales to improve the energy efficiency of our buildings, including:

• introducing energy performance certificates (EPCs) for properties providing A-G efficiency ratings and recommendations for improvement
• requiring public buildings to display energy certificates (DECs)
• requiring inspections for air conditioning systems
• giving advice and guidance for boiler users

Since October 2008 all properties – homes, commercial and public buildings – when bought, sold, built or rented need an EPC. Larger public buildings also need to display an energy certificate.

• by 4 January 2009 the first inspection of all existing air-conditioning systems over 250 kW must have occurred. The first inspection of all remaining air-conditioning systems over 12 kW must have happened by 4 January 2011. For more information, see the air conditioning pages.

This work is part of European legislation - the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive – which all member states must adopt.